Cold Spring Mayor: Decker ‘Was Going To Be An Excellent Officer for Years to Come’ [AUDIO,VIDEO]

COLD SPRING - The town of Cold Spring is reeling from the news that one of their police officers has been shot and killed.

Officer Tom Decker was responding to a welfare check just before 11:00 p.m. last (Thursday) night when he was shot in an alley behind Winner's bar. Thirty-four year old Ryan Larson has been arrested and his expected to be charged with his murder.

Mayor Doug Schmitz says the community is in shock.

Schmitz says Decker was a bright police officer who had a promising future with the police department.

He has been on the Cold Spring police department since 2006.

Officer Tom Decker leaves behind four small children. The four kids attend Pine Meadow Elementary in Sartell. Principal Greg Johnson says he met with the kids, and their mother, early this (Friday) morning.

Johnson says the staff talked about preparing for the Decker kids to come back to school sometime next week.